Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So I’m not an experienced modeller, but I’d love to try and make a centrepiece for my (slowly growing) tyranid army. I think conceptually my favourite idea is a bulky, armoured beastie akin to a rhino (animal) with large armour plates (either on his arms or shoulders) extending to the sides. The idea is that it stomps forward ahead of the army (minus the alpha strike) and provides mobile cover or blocking bonuses. I’m not really asking for a rules set, as I will almost certainly not be using this in actual games. Thinking more the aesthetic and modelling side of it.

Please post ideas and suggestions (along the lines of models I could convert, features I could add, similar conversions, etc) that could help me design and build this critter - I really don’t have the experience or imagination to not mess this up xD

Thanks in advance!
The_Vole

I don't really understand what you mean.

It is a rhino, but it also has a shield? Is it like a snow plow? Would it be like a stegatrops? The 'shields' hardly fucntion very well on a battlefield, at least when they are far ahead. If you want an actuall shield you need to be up close. This is well represented in the 2nd edition tyrant guards, who actiually have a shield. 6th edition hive guards also come with nice screening plates.

The tyranids hardly use a big creature to charge forward performing the functions you mention. For scouts they use Lictors, or genstealers. I suppose the synapse web makes up a nice representation of the battlefield as gaunt and rippers runs over the battlefield. Flyers in all sise and shape also scout. They also do subteranial sonar with raveners mawlocks and trygons. Tyranids attack from the front, from above and from below. If you count genestealer cults they also attack from within. Oh, and the mind is also attacked with the shadow in the warp.

If they should just send something forward as a battering ram that is litherarly what carnifexes are.

But to go back on your original question on having screening units, tyranids use spore clouds to hide and obscure units. Venomthropes do this. The Malanthrope does this, but he is more of the 'mad scientist' hanging back and collecting interesting DNA for the hive. Lastly carnifexes can also hide themselfs with spores.

I think what you are looking for is a carnifex with spores.

Here is a link to old tyranid tyrant guards:

https://www.dakkadakka.com/s/i/at/2012/3/8/59c3eeb40e8c6d99c585961aab156688_49605.jpg__thumb

Use the exocrine kit without the gun. Add armor plating, use better scything talons then its dinky little ones, and with substantial cutting and green stuff turn some carnifex carapace plates into armor for its front walking arms.

You should end up with what looks like a giant tyrant guard/carnifex hybrid.

 Niiai wrote:
I don't really understand what you mean.

It is a rhino, but it also has a shield? Is it like a snow plow? Would it be like a stegatrops? The 'shields' hardly fucntion very well on a battlefield, at least when they are far ahead. If you want an actuall shield you need to be up close. This is well represented in the 2nd edition tyrant guards, who actiually have a shield. 6th edition hive guards also come with nice screening plates.

The tyranids hardly use a big creature to charge forward performing the functions you mention. For scouts they use Lictors, or genstealers. I suppose the synapse web makes up a nice representation of the battlefield as gaunt and rippers runs over the battlefield. Flyers in all sise and shape also scout. They also do subteranial sonar with raveners mawlocks and trygons. Tyranids attack from the front, from above and from below. If you count genestealer cults they also attack from within. Oh, and the mind is also attacked with the shadow in the warp.

If they should just send something forward as a battering ram that is litherarly what carnifexes are.

But to go back on your original question on having screening units, tyranids use spore clouds to hide and obscure units. Venomthropes do this. The Malanthrope does this, but he is more of the 'mad scientist' hanging back and collecting interesting DNA for the hive. Lastly carnifexes can also hide themselfs with spores.

I think what you are looking for is a carnifex with spores.

Here is a link to old tyranid tyrant guards:

https://www.dakkadakka.com/s/i/at/2012/3/8/59c3eeb40e8c6d99c585961aab156688_49605.jpg__thumb

I know fluffwise it doesn’t make sense, but I’d like to model something anyway. Carnifexes are their demolisher crews (hence the rule “living battering ram”), but they don’t really seem like it to me. If they had to assault a fortress or something the carnifexes aren’t tanky enough or high enough strength to create to create a breach without getting shot to pieces by defenders.

So I’d like to create a heavily armoured melee-only tyranid (but not as agile and lean as the dimachaeron [or in fact the swarmlord]). Something that really looks like it could charge a fortress wall and make a dent, while shielding units behind with big armour plates. Understand yet?

The_Vole


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Lance845 wrote:

You should end up with what looks like a giant tyrant guard/carnifex hybrid.

Yeah, that’s kind of what I’m going for. Big enough to provide cover through sheer bulk and extending plates...
Exocrine isn’t a bad shout; it’ll either be that or MAYBE carnifex (with a fairly large amount of modifications...)

Thanks for the suggestions so far!
The_Vole

Very interesting project, some king of tyranid battering ram !
Now this might sound like heresy to the most orthodox modelers out here, but your post immediately made me think abour the Kenner alien rhino, to use as a base for your beast.

It would need massive rework, but I think the base four legs rhino aesthetic is here, while having a general bug like vibe. It would definitely need reposing of each legs to have him look less static, and a complete resculpt of the neck (plus some mechanic lever and spring removal...).
No shield I reckon, but this guy would be big enough to be the shield himself...

What’s the scale of that beastie? Might be worth a try if it’s a good size

The_Vole

If they wanted to assault a fort they do not use carnifexes, but a special breed called stonecrusher carnifex. They are from forge world. Comes with a battering ram.

I know about stone crusher carnifexes, I’ve got a few in my list. I imagine those are great and demolishing vehicles and small buildings, but huge, tall, heavily fortified structure? It’d need a different calibre of monster to breach that - or some mobile cover for the carnifexes to get close. Or both!

The_Vole

the_vole wrote:
I know about stone crusher carnifexes, I’ve got a few in my list. I imagine those are great and demolishing vehicles and small buildings, but huge, tall, heavily fortified structure? It’d need a different calibre of monster to breach that - or some mobile cover for the carnifexes to get close. Or both!

The_Vole

When the nids want to tear a thing down it's a hail of spore mines, mucolids, exocrines, Mawlocs, tyrgons, and raveners breaching foundations, and waves of carnifex. I don't think you seem to realize how many fex can be deployed. Like... a Swarmlord buried a avatar of khaine in an avalanche of carnifex one time.

Getting back to the modelling (instead of how it isn’t needed fluffwise ), anyone got any ideas/tips for making this thing?

The_Vole

Your entire description just screams for using Maleceptor as a basis and enlarging his chest piece forwards to make the center of your plough and modifying scything talons as slightly overlapping side panels of this plugh. He also has small horns already, so enlarging them to look like a larger rhino should be quite straightforward.

For some reason I am thinking of a mashup of Haruspex and the fleshborers hives of the tirannofex... No idea how or why, but I think it is a nice start...

nou wrote:
Your entire description just screams for using Maleceptor as a basis and enlarging his chest piece forwards to make the center of your plough and modifying scything talons as slightly overlapping side panels of this plugh. He also has small horns already, so enlarging them to look like a larger rhino should be quite straightforward.

I’m really not a fan of the maleceptor - especially the head. The tyrannofex head is pretty much perfect for what I’m going for head wise - don’t know about the body still.

The_Vole

the_vole wrote:
What’s the scale of that beastie? Might be worth a try if it’s a good size

The_Vole

I do not have on on hand at the time, but out of memory it would fit on an oval imperial knight base
Managed to find a picture of it next to a hand, but the hand not being scaled, this is of no big help...

It's about 5-6 inches long. I had all of those toys growing. Still in a box somewhere too.

the_vole wrote:


I’m really not a fan of the maleceptor - especially the head. The tyrannofex head is pretty much perfect for what I’m going for head wise - don’t know about the body still.

The_Vole

I have had similar thought to you and I don't like neither the maleceptor, nor the tyrannofex and especially not the hierophant (It always reminds me of an Italian greyhound hiding it's tail betwen the legs. Also, as real animals get larger, ther legs get thicker, not thinner)

Anyway, my plan is to convert something I can use Hierophant rules for.
I want to start with this model 3d scan it, enlarge to maybe 2,5x length, 2x height and 3,5x width, maybe make the legs 4x as thick, remove the eggsac and add some cannons and extra armour plating. I think extra armour on the foremost arms and front of the chest would do the trick.

Then off to your local friend-with-a-3d-printer or shapeways.

/ Regards, Fredrik

Crazy_swede wrote:

the_vole wrote:


I’m really not a fan of the maleceptor - especially the head. The tyrannofex head is pretty much perfect for what I’m going for head wise - don’t know about the body still.

The_Vole

I have had similar thought to you and I don't like neither the maleceptor, nor the tyrannofex and especially not the hierophant (It always reminds me of an Italian greyhound hiding it's tail betwen the legs. Also, as real animals get larger, ther legs get thicker, not thinner)

Anyway, my plan is to convert something I can use Hierophant rules for.
I want to start with this model 3d scan it, enlarge to maybe 2,5x length, 2x height and 3,5x width, maybe make the legs 4x as thick, remove the eggsac and add some cannons and extra armour plating. I think extra armour on the foremost arms and front of the chest would do the trick.

Then off to your local friend-with-a-3d-printer or shapeways.

/ Regards, Fredrik

I'm not planning on making it anywhere near the scale of the heirophant - probably about the size of a Tyrannofex. The model looks interesting - a tervifex!
It keeps in theme with the other lord of wars as well - similar style to the heirodules. Good luck!


For my own model i'm thinking exocrine base - it's stumpy and strong, yet large enough (with enlargements to the plating) to provide a lot of cover to gribblies/synapse units behind it.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

The_Vole

I love the Garthim from Dark Crystal

 SQRT(-2) wrote:
I love the Garthim from Dark Crystal

Reminds me of pose pictures for anubirac and the anubian empire. Wc3 and wow.

OP how about using goblin spider as the base?